Beware of Hypes. Açai as an example.

We have to be careful, very careful. We live in a period where the influence of the media and the community has such a strong power, that it is hard to separate truth from half-truth.

I mentioned before the danger of misleading advertising and claims made on packaging. Now I want to discuss the phenomenon called “hype”. And to make it more lively, I will use one of nowadays hypes: Açai.

I am glad that in and between the overload of weight-loss, super-fruit, anti-oxidant and miracle-of-nature oriented articles, there are still people who take the time to write down the other side of these hype-stories. In this case, I came across an article over at colorsnw.com, titled “Acai Berry: The Miracle Hype”.

A few quotes worth mentioning:

Companies hawking the product also boast that it can improve digestion and heart health, as well as enlarge male sexual organs and increase virility. One website even suggests that there is evidence of acai being a possible cure for leukemia. And, the Wall St. Journal reports that the fruit is going mainstream. Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Anheuser-Busch are adding it to their list of products, as are the organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm and the premium ice cream producer Haagen-Dazs.

You may have heard that it even comes with the most coveted stamp-of-approval – an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey herself.

… ranked the acai drinks as lower than that of pomegranate juice, Concord grape juice, blueberry juice and red wine, and about equal to black cherry and cranberry juices. Another study, published in 2006, rated acai’s antioxidant potency about in the middle among 11 varieties of frozen juice pulps tested, with mangoes, strawberries and grapes all ranking higher.

“If it’s got a funny name and it comes from somewhere exotic, you can charge far more money.”

[quoted from "Açai Berry: The Miracle Hype"]

It seems that in this period, it is the açai berry riding the wave of enormous attention, in such a way that many people follow… blindly. Endorsements by all kinds of (mainly) American celebrities and the huge emphasis on its contribution to weight-loss have made the açai berry a perfect carrier for all kinds of scam that flood many people’s email in-boxes everyday.

But aside from the scams, there is something very disturbing, it is the power of the flooding, penetrating, un-dodgeable mass communication that relates to the hype. Its power is such that it numbs the ability of most of its recipients to put information in perspective. Are we at the point that we blindly follow 1 mention of 1 person in a influential multimedia position and do not even check for facts.  And those who check for facts, do the research and publish the results, are barely heard amongst the many cries of un- and half-truths…

Apparently a very large portion of consumers is looking for 1 product that gives the solution to one or many problems, is as easy to swallow as a pill or a drink, is easily available, does not require any additional exercise or food-awareness, comes in a month or more supply packaging and at a price… well, price does not even seem to have that much impact. It is sad.

Solution to break these commercialized and staged hypes is to follow natural reasoning and taking a moment to think about Mother Nature… and the way she moves. For real. Why on Earth do you think there is such an amazingly broad variety of fruits and vegetables when one thinks to find everything in 1 (!) pill? More and more I (personally) start to embrace the whole foods / raw food philosophy, which in the end is going back to basics and appreciate the pureness of fruits and vegetables as they are… not processed, not refined, not mixed with all kinds of chemicals, not packed, not stamped with expiry dates… but pure. Will come back on this topic later.

But back to the hype, because my idea to “break” a hype is one that is ideal yet unrealistic. Because the strong force behind the curtain of the hype is a simple one: MONEY. And as long as there are enough people thinking to be able to make something out of it, they will keep on feeding the growing wave, the growing hype that swallows a growing audience of which many become evangelists for the same hype… Scary is the undercurrent where people without any notice are swallowed… going down and falling even further as the claims they presume to be true are not becoming a reality.

So rather than trying to break it… it might be a better idea to ride another wave, one that makes sense for you…
And whether that means you stick to a Mediterranean diet, only eat raw foods or combine your regular daily routine with some supplements in pill form, it does not really matter. Most important message I can send out: Do not just follow what other people prescribe, no matter in what position they are, no matter what kind of testimonial they gave you… It comes down to what works for you in a most natural way. And as nature is most diverse, enjoy as many options as possible that nature offers you!

What is it that drives you towards new “miracle” products? Is there a truth in a hype?

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